Our body is a special place. A place where where we stores our memories. Memories can be recalled through our mind and the body where we absorbed the sensory of everyday stimulations around us. The way we move; the way we encounter an experiences; the way we react or response to situations.
When dealing with people with dementia, there are times we find it it difficult to derive output through the mind as the mind of a person is filled with plaques. When we try to assess their thoughts and memories verbally, oftentimes, you may get an answer saying that they could not remember. Not because the person with dementia do not want to remember but because the neural connections in the brain is not sending the message across the cells. When working with people with dementia, the use of dance/movement therapy, a body-based work intervention may be an alternative means to connect to the memories where the body remembers.
I have been working in body-based work with people with dementia since 2000 and it has a been a journey to observe how people with dementia respond to their cognitive levels when they are engaged in dance/movement therapy.
